People enjoy drinking cold and hot beverages at all times, especially while on the go. Coffee, tea, and other hot drinks of all types are very popular all year around. Children and babies enjoy cold or hot milk, often with a chocolate or other flavor added. In the morning, many adults prefer hot drinks such as coffee.
In order to have coffee for his morning commute, a person either has to be up early to prepare the coffee in his home, or prepare it the night before and keep it hot in a thermos type container. As society becomes increasingly mobile, the morning routine is disturbed and a person either goes without a morning drink or must wait until he or she is at school or work to prepare a favorite beverage, if there is time. Instant hot teas and soups require heating facilities, whether at the office or at home and cannot easily be prepared in a car. Thermos bottles filled with coffee prepared the night before may supply the need for a drink, but such coffee is usually not very hot and not as tasty as it was when freshly brewed.
People now enjoy more varied coffee drinks in the morning, such as espressos, lattes, cappuccinos, and the like. Espresso must be consumed while fresh, and at a high temperature, to preserve its quality and taste. The preparation of an espresso or espresso-based drink before the morning commute or other trip typically requires additional preparation time.
Vehicles today usually come equipped with various types of cup holders for travelers who like to have a hot or cold drink, whether home-made or bought “on the run.” These holders usually comprise dual cup trays built into the dashboard and pulled down or otherwise extended for use, or cup wells formed in the spaces between adjoining seats, or mounted on trays attached to the backs of the front seats for use by passengers seated in the rear.
Most installations for holding cups, particularly those for use in vehicles, are based on either a small round tray or a ring for nesting a cup and holding it upright, or a pair of extensions which hug the cup much as a human hand would. The prior art cup holders do not “lock” the cup in place, but only provide a storage space for resting the cup so that it is out of the way while the vehicle is in motion, freeing the hands of the driver.
Thus, it is desirable to provide a broad variety of ready-to-make beverages which can be served either cold or hot, and can be freshly made with minimum effort, according to the taste and preference of the consumer, and at a reasonable cost.